Tag Archives: Ramp Fail

Safe Accessible Ramps are a MUST for Disabled Customers

The only ramp near the Handicap parking space. A broken concrete ramp was further down and blocked by a concrete curb and standard parking space. This is in Downtown Orlando on Colonial Drive. You would think that someone would care!

A safely accessible business matters for all customers.

My friend, who has MS, Multiple Sclerosis fell on this rotten “not to code” unsafe ramp by the handicapped parking space of a popular downtown Orlando Mills-50-Vi Mi District restaurant. Garbage, empty boxes, rat traps, loose door mats and grease on the sidewalk should have been our first clue to stay in the car.

We think that the accessible parking spaces are usually used for their delivery vans and the makeshift rotten wooden ramps are for their delivery carts. This is not just an assumption. Employees were unloading produce from their van in the adjacent handicapped parking space.

This is an international business district, but it is not a 3rd world nation without ADA Accessibility codes! Why does Orlando code enforcement FAIL to enforce ADA accessibility codes at this business? Why doesn’t this restaurant owner care enough to accommodate his customers who live with physical disabilities?

Not only did my friend lose her balance and fall on the wobbly rotten wood plank ramp, but several employees passed her without offering assistance.

Accessible ramps are not just for people who use wheelchairs. They are also for people with a limited range of motion who have difficulty raising their foot up a short step.

There is an unmarked concrete ramp further down the sidewalk, however, it is blocked with a concrete curb stop and a standard parking space with a parked car. We could not get past the parked car to access the concrete ramp. You can see it in the picture. It was not a usable safe accessible ramp.

The blocked ramp might be their “loophole” from providing safely accessible ramps for their customers. This is the type of architectural barrier, combined with a negative employee customer service experience, that drives people living with physical disabilities to sue business and building owners to enforce ADA compliance.

Providing safely accessible ramps is not only the law, but it is a gracious expression of respect for other people.

At Disability Smart Solutions, we work with businesses and building owners who want to make sure that their business is ADA compliant and Disabled Consumer Friendly. We do not go out of our way to point out buildings that are non-compliant, however, this situation made my blood BOIL! I wrote this article to demonstrate the REALITY of a non-compliant business and the impact on REAL people who live with a disability.

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Susan P. Berry, ADA Consultant and CEO

Susan P. Berry, ASID, is passionate about all buildings and cities being accessible to all ability people.
As an Architectural Graduate, Nationally Certified Professional Building Designer and Nationally Certified Professional Interior designer, Susan knows buildings.

As a parent of a special needs child, klutz, and care giver of a parent in a wheelchair, she has first hand experience with All-Ability customer service and non-accessible facilities.

Susan understands first hand that it's one thing to explore a building as an able young person, but it's another to shop, dine, visit the doctor or vacation as a person living with a disability. She also knows that mobility, comprehension, perception, hearing and sight can change in a split second.

Exemplary customer service and ease-of-use in Places of Accommodation are key to creating long-term productive employees and life-long happy customers.

Susan established Disability Smart Solutions to provide both ADA Consulting for Architectural Barriers and Customer Service Training.

Tom Berry, ADA Inspector and Customer Service Trainer

Tom Berry is ADA Consultant for Architectural Barriers and Staff Trainer for Disabled Customer Service and Disabled Employee Sensitivity. Tom has 30+ years in Government Customer Service. Tom enjoys Disability Mystery Shopping as a 55+ Senior with a leg injury. The best way to know what is going on in your business is to Mystery Shop.

Serge, Professional Mystery Shopper

Serge is a 3 year old well-mannered Belgian Malinois rescue dog and Professional Mystery Shopper. Businesses hire Serge to field test their employees knowledge of ADA Service Dog Laws.

Serge is NOT a Service Dog, he is a Customer Service Specialist. At no time do his handlers say that he is a Service Dog. He wears an "In Training" harness. It is visually unclear what his "service" is, forcing employees to ask questions.

The objective is to observe authentic staff reactions to Service Dog questions and the ADA Laws.

Please Text or Call Susan to book Serge. 407-310-3663 info@DisabilitySmartSolutions.com

15% of his fees are donated to The Dog Liberator to help rescue more of his pals.

What is the ADA?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities that are like those provided to individuals on the basis of race, sex, national origin, and religion.

The ADA guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in employment, public accommodations, transportation, State and local government services and telecommunications.

Susan P. Berry, NCIDQ, National Council for Interior Design Qualification

National Council of Building Design Certification, Susan P. Berry, CPBD

Disability Smart Solutions is an ADA Consultancy and a service of Susan Berry Design, Inc.
DSS does not practice Law, Architecture, Commercial Interior Design or Engineering.
DSS recommends always using a State Licensed professional for Construction Documents.
DSS recommends always reviewing Disability Discrimination with an Attorney.
Fees and Prices quoted on website are samples and subject to change at any time.
The comments and observations provided within documents provided by Susan Berry Design, Inc. and/or Disability Smart Solutions (SBD/DSS), are for general information & compliance purposes only. SBD/DSS are not licensed attorneys or architects in the State of Florida. We do not claim to be agents, representatives, or licensees of the DOJ (Department of Justice), ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) or any other state or government agency. Any information provided is not intended as professional legal advice, nor does it supersede government authority. Susan Berry Design, Inc., Disability Smart Solutions and/or their assignee's, do not assume any liability for information.

Disclaimer:
ADA Consulting and ADA Inspectors are non-regulated professions.
The International Code Council provides a Certified Accessibility Inspector/Plans Examiner program. Disability Smart Solutions has this certification.
The Department of Justice does not certify or endorse any individual or organization as ADA consultants, nor does the DOJ approve or endorse any products or designs as being in compliance with the ADA.
Any individual or business claiming to be an ADA Certified Inspector, may be violating various state and federal laws prohibiting fraud and misrepresentation.
We DO NOT provide Certificates of ADA Compliance, as we have never been in a facility that maintained 100% ADA compliance.